Infinity's Gate
by SC-KoNi
Summary: An ancient threat awakens. A strange ship crashes into a frontier world. A chance encounter, that will change the fate of the entire galaxy. The battle for the future begins, at the end of all things... Infinity's Gate!
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:  
**This is going to be a longer story I had thought about for some time. While a 40k / ME crossover on the surface, it will elements from other stories, I'll let you figure out which ones I mean (although from the prologue's title its fairly obvious ^^)  
I will try to get the Chapters out on a weekly basis, but no promises, since I just started university and these things take time to do right. I don't want to rush out an inferior story just to stay on schedule. So here's hoping you enjoy my new story and Emperor watch over you!

Chapter 0: _**That Which can Eternal Lie...**_

A stirring thought coursed through the ancient creature. A slight movement, the merest of quivers, ran through its body. Its eyes glinted slightly, ebony plates shifting as it was slowly roused from its slumber. Its mind observed these happenings with minor interest, the cycle had continued for aeons and it had grown accustomed to the process.

It turned its gaze towards the light before it, a mass of pinpricks vast beyond imagining. The galaxy spread like a carpet, its rings extending infinitely into the distance. As consciousness slowly returned to it, the creature flexed its ancient limbs, checking systems that had slept over the many millennia. It regarded the fellows at its flank, all slowly awakening once more after the long wait.

Yet, something caught its attention. As more of its mind awakened, it registered something. It turned its thoughts this strange occurrence, it was picking up something approaching. The creature paused, double checking the signals coming from its sensors. It turned its gaze at the inky black behind it.

Something was coming. The creature checked again, but there was no doubt. Something was arriving from that endless darkness, from the void between galaxies. The creature alerted its fellows, themselves also turning to meet this strange invader.

Its mind was now fully roused, its attention focused solely on the impossible signal. It was getting closer. The distant lights seemed to be enveloped in a hazy mist, slowly extending across the void.

It got closer still. The creature's fellows began priming their powerful weapons systems, it responding in similar fashion. The anomaly was almost on top of them.

A flicker of light emanated from the within the hazy darkness. It was followed by another, then another in rapid succession. A form began to build, as the flickering intensified. Red arcs of blinding light shot from some of its fellows, impacting against the invader's form.

A tendril suddenly burst from the darkness, a writhing apparition that enveloped one of the creature's fellows. In a blinding explosion, it was crushed. As more lances of light tore across the void towards it, the being lashed out with more of its strange tendrils.

The creature and its fellows kept up their attack. Then, a thrashing tendril appeared in front of the creature. As it saw the tendril rush towards it, its last thought was, 'Forgive me...Harbinger.' Then all turned to black. All around it, its fellows were cut down as well, their attacks meaningless before such a primordial being.

The alien being surveyed the galaxy at which it had arrived. Its mind filled with purpose, an unfathomable thought building inside.

'The Opener of the Way has Come...'


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:**_ Angels of Death_**

A cool wind swept over the dark grey soil, dust spiraling lazily on updrafts from burning vehicles. The air was tinged with the smell of fuel and smoke, a piercing scent of death, well known across the galaxy. Brother-Captain Dragus Harven took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Ah...", he sighed, reaching down and running his armored palm over the dusty ground.

"Another world conquered in the Emperor's name," he rose up, gazing over the hazy mist that covered the battlefield. He had led the conquest of this world, as a Brother-Captain of 2nd Crusading Company of the Imperial Fists Chapter. His brothers had scoured the xenos and heretic filth from the ancient Hive Cities, and pulled the planet safely back into the Emperor's fold. Now, exactly three months after the invasion began, they were ready to pull out.

This campaign had been a routine operation for Havern, the xenos here had barely mastered gunpowder and the heretics had been mere disorganized warbands, feuding over petty reserves of weapons and broken down machinery. Hardly enough to stop three hundred battle-hardened Space Marines, let alone Imperial Fists. 'I wonder how long the Ultramarines would have taken to finish the job', Dragus chuckled at the thought.

"My Lord", he turned towards the voice.

"Ah Brother Kalman", Dragus responded, instantly recognizing the Techmarine's grating voice. A metallic rasp escaped from Kalman's armored vox-grill.

"The last of our war-machines have been loaded onto Thunderhawk Transports for our return to the fleet", he said, "We await your command Brother-Captain." He looked across the broken ground to the dilapidated spires rising from behind the city-walls. "This world has seen much pain over the past centuries..."

Dragus let out a soft chuckle, "I never took you for a sentimental one Brother, why this change of heart?" The Techmarine rarely showed any emotion unless a prized technological artifact was present.

"The work that will have to been done here is momentous Dragus," the Techmarine replied turning his bionic-laced face to the Captain. His left eye gleamed red, his lower face covered by an armored respirator attached to his suit. His skull was topped by an adamantine plate, housing the cranial augmentations he had received during his training on Mars. "The machine-spirits hear have been neglected for so long, their pain echoes through the empty streets, like children lost in a storm."

Dragus sighed, his Techmarine Brother had always been an enigma to him, but he was a loyal servant of the Emperor, and a trusted, if somewhat narrow-minded, companion. "I agree with you there Brother, this world will take a long time to get back on its feet again. But we have freed it from the shackles of barbarism it had languished under for so long."

"Indeed...", replied Kalman. They turned and began to walk back to the Company's field headquarters. It was a seething bustle of activity, men hurrying to and fro, ammo-crates being carried to waiting transports, powerlifters stomping along with great boxes of materiel in their claws. The Imperial Guard had taken over operations on Polaris V, they would oversee the installment of a new Planetary Governor and take care of any remaining dissidents hiding in the ruins. The Space Marines' battle here was over, and they were already preparing the next conquest.

Dragus walked by a Sentinel carrying parts for a forward supply depot. Techmarine Kalman was reviewing a data scroll of the final preparations for their departure.

"Brothers!" Dragus heard a familiar voice calling. He smiled as he saw the face of the man. "I was wondering when you would return from your stroll Captain!"

Veteran Sergeant Argus was a giant of a man, even by Space Marine standards. He filled his artificer suit as completely as his voice filled a room. An exemplar for the Company, Argus had been serving alongside Dragus since their days as scouts, almost two centuries ago. "So Dragus tell me," he said with a soft chuckle, "which world have we been called to next? I truly hope it will be more interesting than this blasted pile of dirt." Dragus shook his head, the Sergeant never tired of his duties. In every battle the Company had been involved in, he had led his squad into the thickest fighting, challenging twisted xenos and foul heretics alike. All had fallen before his righteous fury.

"That remains to be seen Brother," Dragus replied. "For now, you should gather your men for our departure. Or do you want to stay here Argus? I heard the local grox are of excellent quality."

Argus let out a great guffaw. "If I stayed here Captain, who would watch your back in battle? I could not allow any of my brothers to have to shoulder that burden!" Dragus laughed mirthfully, as the Sergeant turned to his squad's field tent. The pair then moved on to the command bunker at the center of the complex.

_[One hour later]_

Dragus felt a great shudder ripple through the Thunderhawk as it began its ascent. From the viewport, he saw the planet slowly sinking away beneath them, the sky growing darker with every passing second. Then, the mighty roar of the engines died away, and the ship cruised gracefully towards the waiting Strike-Cruiser.

The _Hammer of Terra_ loomed ahead of them like a great mountain, its mighty spires piercing up from its armored bulk. The Imperial Aquila shone proudly on its flanks, themselves bristling with bombardment cannons and launch tubes. The Thunderhawk glided into the might vessel, the bay doors closing behind it. As the ramp lowered itself, Dragus saw a figure waiting for them.

The baroque armor was unmistakable, tubes reaching from the suit and plugging into a sparkling hood. "Welcome back, Brother-Captain. We have been awaiting your return", the deep voice of Librarian Helbrecht echoed across the vast chamber.

"Greetings Librarian", Dragus replied, "how go the preparations for our departure from the system?"

The Librarian gestured to the exit doors, the sigils of purity on his armor fluttering as he turned. "All crew are ready for Warp Jump Captain, we await your presence on the bridge." Dragus nodded and made his way to far side of the chamber. With a loud hiss, the doors opened and he continued on to the bridge.

Suddenly, the ship lurched, sending many of the serfs helping with unloading the equipment sprawling. "What in the name of the Emperor was that?" Dragus shouted.

"Captain!" a voice crackled through his implanted earpiece. "We need on the command deck now!" Techmarine Kalman's voice sounded pressingly urgent. Dragus responded quickly, "On my way brother!" He rushed to the bridge as more shockwaves rippled through the great vessel. 'Is it a xenos attack?' He wondered. No Ork or Eldar presence had been sighted in the system. But that did not mean it was nothing to worry about. Experience had taught the Captain to expect any possibility, no matter how unlikely...

He paused for a moment. 'Could it be, a demonic incursion?' His mind filled with hate at the thought of those forsaken abominations. He raced down the ship's hallways, his heavy footfalls echoing as he barreled his way through the serfs who were rushing all around him

With an audible hiss, the bridge doors opened and he stepped inside, all around him crewmen were yelling commands and frantic messages to one another. A voice burst through the chaos.

"Captain!" He saw Kalman calling him from behind one of the ship's holo-screens. "An Anomaly has appeared in front of the fleet!" Dragus looked at the image on the screen.

He had seen a Warp-Portal before, that seething mass of madness and unholy power was not something you easily forget, but this was entirely different. In front of them was a throbbing ring of light, its edges distorting the stars behind it. It glowed with a brilliance almost painful to behold, like a gateway to some realm of paradise. Dragus had seen enough.

"All ships! This is Brother-Captain Dragus of the Imperial Fists! Turn about and move away from the anomaly! I repeat, all ships, move away from the anomaly!" Thrusters fired as glowing tendrils extended from the portal, wrapping around the _Hammer of Terra_. The mighty vessel lurched as it was slowly pulled towards the glowing gateway. Dragus gritted his teeth as the anomaly loomed closer.

"Emperor protect us..." he muttered under his breath as the ship was swallowed in a blaze of light. The portal glowed brightly for a moment longer.

And as suddenly as it had appeared, the portal vanished. Of the noble Strike-Cruiser and the one hundred marines on board, there was no trace.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:_** Arrival**_

"Brace yourselves!" Dragus' voice echoed across the bridge. Sparks flew from burst consoles, the holo-screen flickered as outside flames licked the sides of the battered Strike Cruiser.

"Plasma Reactors are offline! Engines down, auguries not responding, weapons system are down!" Kalman shouted over the din. His bionic eye blazed as he processed dozens of data-streams from the ship's machine spirit. "Captain, the ship is an uncontrolled descent, we are 47 seconds from impact!" A part of the bridge ceiling collapsed. Serfs screamed twisting cables fell down, power arcing across broken connections. Alarms blared over the chaos, mercifully drowning out the sounds of the wounded or dying.

Dragus gritted his teeth. He reached over to the communications console, next to it the bloody corpse of a Chapter serf who had taken a piece of shrapnel through the head. Dragus ignored the body and grabbed the intercom. He prayed it still functioned. "All hands! This is Captain Dragus! Prepare for emergency planetary approach!" Ahead of him he saw a slab of metal peel off the ship's superstructure and tumble away. Pieces of the ship were shredded off as it hurtled through the planet's atmosphere, a great blaze of fire falling from the heavens.

The planet loomed before them. Dragus could see patches of green surrounded by vast expanses of brown, probably deserts, and the coast of a great ocean extended into the horizon. As the ship hurtled towards the planet, he saw mountains rising beyond the desert's edge. Around him, serfs were chanting prayers to the Emperor. He muttered a silent prayer himself.

The ground rushed towards them, the Strike Cruiser leaving a blazing trail behind it. The ship jolted as it hit a low hill, its prow plunging down towards the fast approaching planet.

"Ready yourselves! The Emperor protects, Brothers!" Dragus shouted over the grinding sounds of the ship. Then, in an explosion of earth and shattered rock, the Strike Cruiser impacted the planet's surface.

Dragus braced himself, shockwaves tearing through the ship's hull. From the view-port, he saw a wall of earth explode up from the tortured ground as the ship's plummeting mass gouged a deep rend into the planet's crust. Sparks flew from severed connections, broken tiles flying through the air.

The terrible course continued for what seemed an eternity. Trees snapped or were uprooted by the inexorable mass of the Strike Cruiser.

Then, with a deafening sound of creaking and grinding metal, the ship's passage ground to a halt. The silence was punctuated by the blaring alarms. Dragus righted himself, "Get men to tend to the wounded. Status report on all systems."

Kalman, emerging from beneath a mass of severed wires and power conduits, nodded, shaking the debris from his armored form, "Yes, Brother. I will go check on the Plasma Reactor. Omnissiah willing it may still be in working order." Dragus turned to the view port, now covered in a tangle of branches and leaves.

"By the Emperor, where did we end up now?" He muttered under his breath. He shook his head and headed down the broken corridor.

_[Half an hour later]_

Dragus hefted a heavy plate from a downed serf. The faithful servant had once been an honorable engineer of the Chapter, tending to the weapons and armor of himself and his fellow brothers. Now, his broken body lay sprawled where he had fallen, crushed beneath a mass of twisted metal. Dragus paused for a second, then knelt and whispered a prayer for the fallen serf.

"M-My Lord Captain?" Dragus turned to the voice. A young Chapter serf, wrapped in a tattered work-cloak stands before him. Dragus' armored form towers over the man.

Dragus sees he is hesitating, obviously intimidated."Come boy! Give me your report!" Dragus says forcefully, jolting the serf from his stupor.

"Y-Yes, my Lord! Forgive me, I was sent by Lord Argus, he requests or presence in the hangar bay, Sir!" the serf bursts out. Dragus gives a curt nod and turns away, the serf giving a bow as he hurried back to his duties. Dragus made his way through ship, emergency already assessing the damage, as the ships tortured hull still blistered with heat from the uncontrolled reentry.

Dragus wondered how this situation had come to pass. He had, as all in the chapter also had, heard stories of ships and even entire fleets being swallowed by the Warp and deposited light-years from their locations, sometimes even thrown through time and space to end up centuries from their time of entry, be it in the future, or even rarer still, into the past. Dragus needed to get his bearings as quickly as possible, there were few things he hated more than finding himself in a blind situation. He cursed silently as he marched through the broken doors of the hangar bay.

"Captain, over here!" Argus' voice boomed from the far side of the chamber.

"Sergeant, report", the Captain called as he walked over to Argus. All around, serfs were picking up upturned crates of ammunition, shells were strewn across the deck by the impact, wrenches and other tools tossed from their containers. The stench of spilled fuel filled the room.

"Looks like this campaign is off to an excellent start Brother!" Argus said gesturing around the room. "From my count we have lost about a third the mechanics and assistants from the hangar and armory. Of our three Thunderhawks none seem to have been heavily damaged, though a falling crane did hit the starboard wing of Thunderhawk 2." Dragus turned to where Argus was pointing. The Thunderhawk lay beneath the twisted remains of a ceiling crane, men swarming over it trying to assess the damage.

"Beyond that, I cannot tell you anything you don't already know", Argus said shrugging, "Thank the Emperor we even survived that descent."

Dragus gave a laugh at his remark, "It will take more than some light turbulence to take the _Hammer of Terra_ out of commission. And certainly not some short drop from orbit." Argus grinned, clapping his gauntlet onto the Captain's armored pauldron.

"Aye Dragus!" he said, "Next to the fight we had against the Greenskins on Bravia IV this is a cakewalk!" Dragus clapped his own gauntlet on Argus' shoulder giving his old friend a brotherly smirk.

Argus turned and walked to the men trying to extricate the pinned Thunderhawk. Dragus also made his way to the main reactor chamber. He had to speak with Kalman over possible repairs.

_[Meanwhile, 135km away at Alliance Monitoring Station Gamma]_

"Sir! We have confirmed the meteorite has crashed in the forest in this sector, here", the officer gestured to the point on the holo-field. Lieutenant Tracy Wilson leaned back in her chair, hands crossed across her chest.

"And you say it was detected in atmo? No approach warning from the satellites?" she asked turning to the young officer. The man gave a shrug and gestured to the screen. It showed the object's descent path, a thin line depicting its crash into the planet. Tracy narrowed her eyes and shook her head. 'Why do these things keep happening to me...', she thought sighing and rubbing her temples. Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice coming from the command room's entrance. The unmistakable form of a turian was illuminated in the center's harsh light.

"Well now", the turian said, Tracy thought she saw the equivalent of a smile show on his face. "I guess this day just got a lot more interesting."


	4. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3:_ First Contact

A cold mist had descended over the quiet forest. Lieutenant Wilson looked back at the squad behind her. She raised her hand and made a curt signal.

They moved slowly through the undergrowth, weapons at the ready. She checked her omni-tool. They were approximately one kilometer from the crash site. The air was tinged with a scent of scorched wood and earth. A thick column of smoke and steam extended for miles, the vapors curling in the cool air. Wilson edged forward.

A figure stepped softly beside her.

"Thoughts Lieutenant?" She turned to the grey-armored figure. Her eyes narrowed instinctively. Sergeant Sidonus had been attached to the platoon here at Outpost 3. The turian had kept his distance from the her and her men, and she was silently glad he had done so. The First Contact War was not the thing of the past the media it out to be, especially for people who had lost family in the fighting. She shook the thought from her mind.

"Keep it down Sergeant", Wilson said coldly. The turian looked back for a moment then rose from his crouch and trudged forward. Tracy shook her head. She rose up and followed him, her squad fanning out behind them.

Wilson suddenly felt a presence to her left. She glanced to the side and scanned the dense foliage. There was nothing in her line of sight. She paused and shook her head again. Their objective was just a short distance away, no need to get nervous now.

[Meanwhile]

Brother-Scout Ivan peered from behind his goggles. His squad had detected the intruders half an hour ago. The scouts had reported the sighting immediately. Since their crash-landing around twelve hours ago, the company had quickly established a defensive perimeter. This was a routine procedure, the scout had experienced dozens of such deployments in his short time in the field. His squad had moved into their guard positions almost instinctively. Captain Dragus had ordered them to maintain observation. Hidden by their cameleoline cloaks, the scouts blended seamlessly into the forest.

Ivan regarded their targets again. There were seven of them in total, and from their movements they were more than just feral barbarians. They wore some sort of body armor, segmented plates with reinforcements on the shoulders and chest area. It reminded him somewhat of Eldar armor, the thought making him grit his teeth in revulsion.

One of the group in particular caught his attention. A grey-armored figure, it kept its distance from the rest, moving ahead from the group in swift, short stops. Ivan regarded the figure, and his eyes narrowed. The creature had only three digits and an elongated ridge extended from the back of its head. Its gate had a strange, birdlike movement to it. Ivan knew exactly what to call such a creature.

He checked his bolter and flipped the safety off.

_Xenos._

[Fifty meters away]

Lieutenant Wilson crouched behind a thick tree, its bark glistening with moisture. She checked her omni-tool, seven hundred meters to the edge of the target area. She thought she saw a dark mass extending above the canopy, but her view was obscured by the thick blanket of leaves.

She gestured to her squad to hold. The soldiers nodded took up a small perimeter. She went over to Sergeant Sidonus. The turian appeared uneasy.

"Something bothering you Sergeant?" Wilson said quietly, crouching beside him. Sidonus turned to her, his blue eyes glinting.

He looked around slowly. "Something is watching us Lieutenant", he hissed. "In the trees, some sort of optical camo." Wilson glanced over her shoulder, the trees extended in all directions. She didn't doubt the turian's words however. He might make her uneasy, but turians were soldiers first and foremost.

Suddenly, she felt a soft rumble. Then another, like a heavy footfall. She gripped her weapon to her chest, peering through here helmet visor. The sound grew louder.

Then a voice echoed across the still air. "Intruders! You trespass on imperial ground! Lay down your weapons or prepare to be cut down!"

Cloaked figures appeared around the small squad, weapons at the ready. They wore combat fatigues and body armor and their faces were hidden behind large goggles. Their apparel was a distinctive yellow color. The figures emerged from the trees like specters and before Wilson could say anything, her squad had been surrounded.

"Who are you?" she called. "This is Lieutenant Tracy Wilson of the Alli-" She was cut short as she felt the barrel of a blocky rifle pressed into the small of her back.

"Silence yourself", a voice ordered. "or do you want to take your chances?" She felt the barrel press into her.

"Stand down men", she said emotionlessly. Her marines lowered their weapons slowly, eyes darting to the figures around them.

The footsteps drew closer still. Then Wilson's mouth dropped. From behind the trees, a new group was approaching.

"Greetings to you, intruders." A vast armored figure stomped towards them. He was easily seven or eight feet tall, his heavy footfalls leaving deep prints in the damp earth. He wore a thick suit of yellow armor, inlaid with gold embroidery and covered with sigils. At his side hung a sparkling sword and he carried a large, blocky pistol in his hand. Around his head extended a golden halo, sparking with power.

At the man's flank were more armored figures. They bore the same large weapons as those surrounding them, and they were also armored from head to toe. Wilson realized her mouth was agape and quickly shut it.

The second group came up to them, and the one she supposed must be their leader stared down at her. She glanced behind her at the figure pressing his weapon into her back. The huge man followed her gaze.

"Stand down Brothers", he intoned. "I do not believe they pose a threat." Wilson smirked, 'So we're not a threat?' Somehow she felt insulted, but at the moment she was at least relieved that she was not being held at gunpoint.

The armored figure reached back behind his head. With an audible hiss he removed his helmet. His face had a leathery texture to it and he had a long scar running down the left side of it. His piercing eyes seemed to go right through her.

"Tell me. What unit do you hail from", the armored giant ordered. Wilson looked up straight into his eyes as she rose from her crouch. She came up to the man's chest, embroidered as it was by the image of a two-headed eagle.

"Lieutenant Tracy Wilson of the Alliance 5th Marines", she said, trying not to stutter, "And who might you be?" The giant kept his expressionless face.

He stepped back and regarded her. "I am Brother-Captain Dragus of the Imperial Fists Chapter 2nd Company. By the Emperor's grace I command my brothers on the Strike Cruiser _Hammer of Terra_."

Wilson gulped, 'Who were these guys? And who was the Emperor?' She was starting to get a bad feeling about this. Her thoughts were interrupted by the man's voice.

"You have been captured attempting to infiltrate imperial controlled territory," he said slowly, "This carries the penalty of death." Wilson stiffened up. She felt her men shuffle behind her. Then Sidonus stepped up from his crouch.

"By what right do you lay claim to this land, Captain?" he asked, his eyes narrowed. One of the armored figures stepped up, raising his weapon.

"You dare address a Space Marine? Foul Xen-", he was cut short by the Captains outstretched arm.

"Calm yourself brother, the xenos' ignorance is to be expected", the Captain said, his eyes fixed on Sidonus. He glanced over the rest of the group. "Bring them back to ship for interrogation", he ordered, turning his back to them. "And make sure they don't attempt to flee."

Wilson felt strong arms grab her and push her forward. This mission had officially gone off the deep end.


End file.
